A/N: Chapter 21 up. See, I told ya it wasn't going to be as long of a wait.

Chapter Twenty One:

Diseased

Liyenn opened her eyes to find herself inside a hospital room. It looked kind of familiar to her, like this was the room she visited a few days earlier. She tried to sit up, but something prevented her from moving very far. There was something attached to her nose. Liyenn lifted her hand up to figure it out, only to see that she was wearing a finger clip of some sort. There was a wire attached to it. She followed the wire with her eyes and it led her to a monitor. She squinted at the monitor, trying to figure out what it was. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was pulsing like a heart beat. She was attached to a heart monitor! But why?

Liyenn lifted her hand to her nose, still curious about the thing attached to her face. It... it was a tube. "What's this?" Liyenn murmured to herself. She started to pull on the tube, causing other tubes to come out of her nose. When Liyenn finished pulling the tube out, she lifted herself into a sitting position. As she sat up, Liyenn can feel herself losing breath and felt hersel breathing heavier. What's wrong with me? Liyenn thought.

Liyenn had almost fell over but she was caught by a nurse. "Liyenn-chan!" the nurse cried. The nurse helped Liyenn lie down again and repositioned the tube in Liyenn's nose. "Please, Liyenn-chan. You have to keep your breathing tube in." the nurse said sternly.

Liyenn frowned at the nurse. She was highly confused. She remembered trying to listen to the Hokage's speak at the end of the second test of the Chuunin exam, but after that she couldn't remember anything. "What's wrong with me? Why do I need a breathing tube? Why am I attached to a heart monitor?" Liyenn demanded weakly.

The nurse hesitated. She sighed and looked at Liyenn, giving her a soft smile. "Liyenn-chan, your body is very weak. It seems that you've caught a nasty virus somewhere." the nurse explained.

"What about the Chuunin exam? What happened to me there?"

"Well, Kakashi brought you here, saying that you passed out after acting very strangely. Then he told us to check you for viruses or poisons."

"Really? Why's that?"

"When Osamu-san attacked you a few days ago, he had his weapons dipped in a strange liquid. We couldn't figure out what it was. Kakashi thinks that Osamu sliced your leg open so you would catch the virus unnoticed."

Liyenn thoughts instantly went back to when Osamu attacked her in the forest outside the village. "It wouldn't matter if I killed you now. You'll only end up dying later anyway."

"Oh no." Liyenn said loudly. The nurse had now left her and was speaking to another medic-nin.

"Go inform Kakashi-san that Liyenn-chan has awaken. I'm sure he would like to know that she's awake." the nurse said. The nurse turned back to Liyenn as the other ninja left. "Everything will be fine, Liyenn-chan. You're just going to have to stay here until the illness is gone."

"I should've known the signs..." Liyenn muttered.

"Pardon me? The signs?"

"My mother got sick six years ago. She had similar symptoms to the disease that I had. Random headaches, shortened temper, extremely tiredness. I can't understand why I didn't notice it before." Liyenn said sadly.

"Maybe you were too busy concentrating on the Chuunin Selection Exam to worry about your own health and safety." The nurse sighed. "The Preliminary rounds should be over soon, anyway. Those kids have been fighting almost all day."

"So, it's still the same day? I wasn't out for more than twenty four hours?" Liyenn asked, facing the nurse.

"No, Liyenn-chan. You were only out for almost eight hours. Nightfall hasn't even arrived yet."

"That's good." Liyenn said, trying to sit up a little bit.

"Liyenn-chan! Be careful! You're still too weak to move much." the nurse cried, trying to keep Liyenn from moving much.

"I only want to sit up." Liyenn pleaded.

"Fine." The nurse pushed a button on the railing of the bed and Liyenn's head started to raise until she was in a sitting position. "Is that better?" the nurse asked sweetly.

"Yeah, it is actually. Thanks." Liyenn said, giving the nurse a very weak smile.

"Alright. I'm going out to check on other patients. You call out if you need anything and someone will be there to assist you. Alright?" Liyenn nodded and the nurse moved out of the room swiftly.

"Liyenn?" came a male voice from the doorway. Liyenn turned her head to see who it was. She saw that it was her brother. "Liyenn, are you ok?" Habu asked as he ran to her bedside.

Liyenn shook her head. "There's no cure for this disease yet... Osamu-sensei was right..."

"What do you mean, Liyenn? What did he say to you?"

"He told me I was going to die soon."

Habu gasped and looked down at his little sister. He raised his hand and gently touch the younger girl's face. Tears swelled in his eyes. "This wouldn't've happened if I was here to protect you. If only I was there for you more while you were growing up. Maybe I could've saved you from a lot of pain..."

"Onii-chan. It's not your fault. It's my own." Habu looked into the eyes of his baby sister. "I went into the forest by myself. Kakashi scolded me for it afterwards." Liyenn gave a weak smile. "He's been taking care of me a lot since Momma died. He saved me from Osamu-sensei and he brought me here when I passed out at the Chuunin exam."

"That's right. You were in the Chuunin exam. How was it?" Habu asked, taking a seat beside the bed.

"It was alright. We were attacked by some snake guy." Liyenn began to uncover her body.

"Liyenn, what are you doing?"

"Showing you. The wound is still there." Liyenn uncovered enough for Habu to see her badly sown up snake bite. Habu stood and traced it with a finger.

"What did this to you?"

"A giant snake. He intended to eat me, but I landed on the fang instead. Naruto saved me before the snake could swallow me." Liyenn explained, covering herself back up as Habu sat back down.

"You must've been attacked by Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru?"

"Yes. He's a S-ranked criminal who was from Konoha. I wonder what he wanted with your team?" Habu pondered out loud.

"I don't know. I blacked out before Naruto saved me, so I don't know what happened during the battle."

"I see." Habu stood. "I've gotta go make a report to the Hokage. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." Liyenn nodded and Habu turned to leave. He stopped before he reached the door. "He cares about you, don't he?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Just tell Naruto I said thank you."

Habu left Liyenn feeling highly confused. Who was Habu talking about? Naruto? Kakashi? Who? Liyenn suddenly felt tired. "Phoenix? Are you trying to heal me?"

'Yes, I am, Liyenn-chan. Or, at least reverse the damage a little bit. Am I draining too much energy from you?'

"Yeah. I feel really tired..."

'I'm sorry, Liyenn-chan.'

Liyenn stared up at the ceiling. She could feel the oxygen entering and leaving her lungs. It was warm, but it gave her a weird feeling. "Momma was never put onto oxygen when she got sick..." Liyenn thought out loud. "Am I in worse shape than Momma was?" Liyenn closed her eyes, feeling a bigger wave of sleepiness consume her body. Am I going to be alone?

Hours passed by as Liyenn slept. Kakashi had came by after the Genin were dismissed from the Preliminaries rounds of the third exam. He was sitting in the chair by her bed, watching her. Her hand twitched, and Kakashi looked at Liyenn's face. She was stirring. She groaned as she tried to lift her head of the pillow. Liyenn opened her eyes and glanced around the room. "Kakashi?"

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked her, giving her a warm smile.

"Tired." Liyenn replied. "And I need to use the washroom." Kakashi blinked and called the nurse.

"What can I do for you, Liyenn-chan?" the nurse asked.

"I need to use the washroom." Liyenn told the nurse. The nurse moved to Liyenn's side and helped her up. With the nurse's help, Liyenn made it to the washroom and back fine. When she was back in bed, Liyenn turned to Kakashi. "Where's Naruto and the others? Did they do alright in the Preliminary round?"

"Sasuke and Naruto both won their matches, and Sakura tied with her opponent, causing them to both lose."

"That's too bad. I'm glad Naruto and Sasuke did well." Liyenn gave a smile. "Who were they against?"

"Sasuke faced an older Genin from Leaf, Naruto faced off against Kiba and Sakura was up against Ino."

"Interesting." Liyenn said. She slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. "Where's Naruto anyway?"

"Actually. I don't know where Naruto is. He's suppose to start new training tomorrow under one of the special sensei that teaches people under the instruction of the Hokage." Kakashi explained. "He's probably home getting ready for it."

Liyenn looked away sadly. "I see. So, he won't be able to come see me?" Liyenn asked, catching Kakashi off guard.

"Well, I'm sure he'll try to come see you whenever he can, Liyenn. But you must understand, if he's going to be training he won't be able to be by your side all the time. Why do you want him anyway?"

"He's my best friend." Liyenn's cheeks began to burn. She could feel her lungs burning too. She cried, and Kakashi jumped to her aid. Liyenn quickly pulled the tubes out of her nose, feeling that they were causing the burning in her lungs. Her face expressed pain as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"What's wrong, Liyenn?!"

"My lungs... they burn..." Liyenn cried. The nurses were summoned. They had never seen anything like it before in all of their years of medical research. They placed a cold cloth upon Liyenn's forehead and hit one of Liyenn's pressure points, causing her to fall asleep. They went to work on Liyenn's body and discovered just how bad the damage was.

The girl's lungs were bringing up from the inside, which would cause her lungs to burn from extra use of the organ. "This is bad." one nurse commented.

"Why? Can't you reverse it?" Kakashi asked.

"It's impossible to work with. We need a sample of her mother's blood." the nurse said. "Too bad we don't even know where to look." Kakashi got up and left before any of the nurses could question him.

Kakashi walked down the streets of Konoha. He was planning on visiting the Hokage to see if there was a way of getting the blood sample from the Hidden Forest Village. He happened to pass by Ichiraku Ramen when he heard a couple of familiar voices coming from the stand.

"That's right, Iruka-sensei! I beat Kiba in the Chuunin Selection Exams!"

"I'm so proud of you, Naruto. You're really improving."

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked, approaching the stand.

"Kakashi, what a surprise! I heard that Naruto had made it into the third exam, so I thought I'd treat him to ramen." Iruka said with a smile. The smile was gone though when he noticed that Kakashi wasn't smiling back. "What's wrong?"

"I have to speak to the Hokage and then find Kohaku." Kakashi answered.

"What's going on?"

"I have to get a sample of blood that could only be found in one place. And I need Kohaku's help to get there." Naruto frowned and Kakashi turned to him. "I thought you were suppose to be getting ready for your new training sessions tomorrow?" Kakashi asked. He sounded a little angry.

"I was, but Iruka-sensei dropped by and wanted to take me out for ramen."

"Hold on, Kakashi. Why do you need Kohaku's help? Can't you handle it yourself? What blood sample do you need?"

"I need to get a blood sample from Kenshin-sensei's deceased wife." Iruka and Naruto both gasped. Kakashi glared at Naruto, thinking about the conversation he had with Liyenn. "So, he won't be able to come see me?"

"What do you need that for?"

"The medics want the sample so they can come up with a cure for Liyenn." Naruto looked up at Kakashi, guilt and shock filled him. "She's not doing very well. The medics can't even get a good sample of blood from her. Just a minute ago, she was crying because her lungs were burning."

"Burn...ing?" Naruto swallowed.

"Yes, burning." Kakashi sighed. "I have to go. I have to get permission from Hokage-sama to drag Kohaku away from the village for a couple of days." Kakashi left the guilty Naruto staring into his half eaten ramen.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

"I was going to go see her when you came for me." Naruto confessed, not looking up from his bowl. "I didn't want to seem rude and reject the offer, considering I always go when you offer."

"Do you still want to see her?" Iruka asked. Naruto gave a slight nod, and Iruka smiled. "Naruto, I'm not going to keep you from someone who's important to you. Go on, I completely understand."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei. You're the best!"

Naruto ran all the way to the hospital. All the way there, he thought about Liyenn and how Kakashi had looked at him when he saw Naruto sitting with Iruka at the ramen stand. Maybe Kakashi-sensei's mad at me for not visiting Liyenn... It was dark already, so if Naruto wanted to see Liyenn, he would have to sneak around all the nurses.

He used the henge technique to sneak into the hospital as a medic-ninja. He began searching the rooms as soon as he entered the hospital. In one room, he saw Hinata, and in another, he saw Lee. He made a mental note to visit them later on if he had time. Right now, he had to find Liyenn's room. He searched a little bit longer before coming across a slightly opened door. He peered inside.

Liyenn laid there in her bed, asleep. Naruto opened the door long enough to sneak in and closed it behind him. After he got closer to Liyenn's bed, he dropped the henge, and watched Liyenn for a little bit. He smiled at Liyenn as she slept peacefully. He reached over and brushed a few strands of hairs out of her face. As he did this, Liyenn stirred. Liyenn opened her eyes and was surprised to see Naruto was standing there instead of Kakashi. "Naruto?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't come earlier. I had some things to do. But I couldn't go without coming to visit you tonight, so here I am." he explained. He smiled softly at her. "I heard you had quite the fever earlier today. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm still tired, and I can barely lift my head off the pillow. But, I'm better now that you're here with me." Naruto blushed at her words. "I heard you were getting a new sensei."

"Yeah..." Naruto was still blushing. "Are you really that happy to see me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Liyenn gave a weak smile. "I heard you beat Kiba in the Preliminary rounds."

"Yeah, I did. You should've seen it! I was so great, just like I knew I was!" Naruto smiled and readjusted her hitai-ate. Liyenn smiled too.

"I wish I was there to see it. I'm so proud of you." Liyenn smiled as widely as she could. Suddenly, a faint blush formed across the bridge of her nose. "Um, Naruto?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I, um... I need to use the washroom..." Liyenn shuddered. Naruto blinked and started to proceed calling the nurse. "No!" Liyenn cried weakly.

"What?"

"If the nurse comes and catches you here, she'd kick you out." Liyenn's blushed deepened a little bit and Naruto turned a bright shade of red.

"You mean... you want me to help you to the washroom?" Naruto was a little stunned by this request. Liyenn nodded slightly and Naruto gulped. "Well, I don't know if I should do that. Won't it seem kind of... perverted?"

"Maybe..." Liyenn looked away. She sighed and turned back to him. "Well you still help me? I mean, you have seen me naked... even if it was an accident."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"Please, Naruto?"

Naruto sighed. "Fine. What do I need to do?" Liyenn started pulling the tubes from her nose. "Hey. What are you doing? You need those."

"I can't take them to the washroom, silly." Liyenn smiled and pulled the remainder of the tubes from her nose. She started to try to sit up. She pulled the blankets off of her, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She could slowly feel her breath escaping her. With a shaky hand, Liyenn removed the clip on her finger that connected her to the heart monitor. Naruto watched as Liyenn forced herself to stand, her short, pale green nightdress covering her upper body neatly.

Liyenn began to sway in her place. She was forced to sit back down so she could catch her breath. "Are you alright, Liyenn?"

Liyenn looked up and saw Naruto's worried face staring down at her. "I'll be ok. Could you help me walk over to the washroom?" Naruto nodded. He wrapped his arm around Liyenn's waist and led her to the washroom, just like she had requested. When she had finished, Naruto led her back to her bed, where she laid down and replaced all of her wiring. "Thank you, Naruto." she said once she was all situated.

"No problem." Naruto looked at the clock over by the door. It read 11:30pm. "I guess I should be going. Before I get caught."

"Will you come back tomorrow?"

Naruto gazed deeply into Liyenn's eyes. He could feel his heart pound in his chest as she gave him a pleading look. He smiled at her. "Of course I will. Promise." Naruto stated. Naruto then left the room quickly before the nurses noticed his presence. He decided to stick around though, as he watched Liyenn for a little bit from outside her window.

'You love the girl, don't you?'

"What was that?" Naruto asked, frantically searching around for the voice.

'You stupid brat. Won't even admit your own feelings for someone.'

"Who's there?!" Naruto demanded.

'Although, she would make the perfect mate for you...' Naruto heard the voice snicker at him.

"I don't get it. Who am I hearing?" Naruto thought about what the voice had said, though, about the mate. Was he talking about Liyenn?

'Who else would I be talking about?' the voice growled.

Sorry... whoever you are.

'You've got a lot to learn...'

Wait... it couldn't be...

A/N: End of chapter 21. Let me know what ya think, please?